Magnet fasteners or clips are well known in the art and are often utilized to fasten body panels and automobile interior trim piece panels, such as a headliner, to the body or chassis of a vehicle. Such fasteners must allow for articulation in order to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and/or irregular body contours so as to provide proper fastening.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,306,190 and 8,287,034 disclose state-of-the-art magnet fasteners. The '190 patent relates to a fastener including a magnet that is held in a carrier that is loosely fitted onto a post in order to allow for tilt or articulation as often required to provide substantially flush engagement against a substrate such as a roof to which a trim piece is to be mounted.
Similarly, the '034 patent discloses a magnet mounted in a holder that is captured on a boss. A gap is provided between the boss and the holder so as to allow relative movement of the holder on the boss and articulation of the magnet.
It should be appreciated that the magnet holders disclosed in the '190 and '034 patents are made of multiple pieces that move relative to each other in order to provide articulation. These devices must be carefully manufactured under tight tolerances to allow proper assembly and operation. Even when properly manufactured, the relative movement of the parts may lead to a ticking or rattling sound that can be particularly annoying to a vehicle operator. When one realizes that these fasteners are often utilized to attach a headliner to the vehicle roof, it is appreciated that this ticking or rattling occurs in the proximity of the ears of the vehicle occupants. Often the ticking or rattling is so annoying the dissatisfied vehicle operator brings the vehicle in for service to address and prevent the unwanted sound. The removal and replacement of a headliner is a time-consuming and costly repair. Further, the resulting customer dissatisfaction of the operator with the vehicle brand is a critical concern.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,555,468 discloses a magnet fastener including protuberances on small spring supports that project above the floor of the cup which contacts and holds the magnet assembly so as to bias the bottom of the cup into tabs on the post so as to prevent rattling. While useful for its intended purpose, the relatively small spring supports have a limited cross section that only provides for limited biasing force and the resiliency of the material tends to wane over time.
This document relates to a new and improved magnet fastener of unitary construction which substantially eliminates any possibility of the fastener ticking or rattling when in use even over a long service life.